Ozzy makes a reappearance

Ozzy the Osprey, who first appeared on this post http://rhydddu.blogspot.com/2007/04/cars-ospreys-vaseline-and-wrong-size.html is learning to be heritage aware and also to ponder the future – hoffs vs tortoises?

Seriously though, I’ve found the problem that has been causing the problem getting the points to move across reliably – it’s the wires soldered to the bottoms of the switch rails, which bond those rails electrically to the stock rails.  This is normal DCC practice, but because the old style points are hard to convert to dcc friendly, the pivot for the blades and the insulated gap are one at the same thing (using insulated joiners).  The problem there is that you have to make the stock rail to switch blade bond before the pivot, causing a new force to be applied to the blade, one which twists the blade slightly, enough to be a problem.  It also happens that the bond wires get in the way of the installation of tortoises below the boards too.  Which is what I found when trying to add a tortoise to the yard point last night.

So, to really deliver reliable pointwork I need to replace the points with the new peco ones.  This then means that the track alignment will have to alter as the points are larger and the divergent angle is less (but this will look more prototypical anyway). 

It also means that I could go with tortoises throughout, but for now I will install the new points (on Ozzy’s advice) and stay with the 3 hoffs I know work fine.  Then after testing, we may have to go for tortoises, but we’ll see.

Super-models

So, here there are, 4 DZs and 2 AZs delivered to the West Midlands.  I almost mugged our post lady when she came into sight! 

I hope you’ll agree that they really are super models.  If you have a project you’d like boston largs works to do for you, then don’t hesitate any more, the workmanship is phenomenal.  Worth every penny. 

   

and for the record here is Rob’s creation next to the 3mm wagon I was going to use as the basis for my attempt - a millions miles off!

So, where’s my red oxide primer….?

Resistance is not futile

The larger 1k8 ohm resistor did the trick. I've also beefed up the resistance on the other loop point as it was far too bright.

Attention now falls back on the yard board and installing the other tortoise.

Testing, testing

Last night I was tearing my hair out trying to understand how my point indicator LED could be lit whichever direction the point was set.  There was a marked difference in light intensity though between the two and so I can only assume that the tortoise’s contacts are a little dodgy and let a little voltage through when there should be none.  To try and cure it (and reduce the intensity of the LED in the other position) I’m installing a larger resistor…watch this space.

Today I put together the board protective covers and these now await the installation of velcro.

CaCa (Kaka?)

So the 500th post comes early as Dad has reported progress on Castell Caernarfon (CaCa).  It certainly is living up to the nickname, like the footballer!  The yellow stripes are not finished - you can still see the pencil guide lines and they need to be more of a golden colour – this will be done on the second coat.  The silver and black bits round the cab windows are very fine and the larger than life photos show all the missing bits (!) – they will be touched up later.  The nameplates are now painted red too but they are too small to photograph. 

In other news 138's power bogies, including the footplate/buffer beam pieces, backhead and pony trucks have all been cleaned and de-greased ready for primer.

I’m mighty pleased!  The model definitely captures the look of the real thing!

 

499th post and a new look

In preparation for the 500th blog post on this site (tomorrow?), I have updated the blog design to the new blogger standards.  Main changes are:
- New header image, 143 approaching Rhyd Ddu
- Blogroll removed and replaced by an enlarged links section
- New pages regarding suppliers and the description I have written for expoNG
- Wider text column for posts
- New share buttons - send my posts to facebook, twitter, email them etc

The only thing I can't yet get right is setting the images at the very bottom of the blog (ads fior the railways) and the countdown ticker to align in the middle of their boxes.  I probably need to alter the HTML, but wouldn't know where to start!

OMG!

http://bostonlargsworks.blogspot.com/2010/08/jobs-good-un.html

Legs eleven (well, 9)

I have managed to install the base plates for the new breakfast bar style legs.  Here’s one upside-down for the hidden corner section.

and a close-up

Here it is the right way up and attached to its neighbour board

Here the Waunfawr end hidden sidings are erected with two new legs.

and here’s the table ‘board’ (to be used for running repairs, cups of tea etc during exhibitions) with its three base plates added.

 

The garage has also acquired a new cupboard for modelling materials, which was to be part of the new ikea kitchen, but we found we could squeeze a 50 cupboard in (just) and so this 40 was free for use in the garage. 

and here’s the last baseplate in place on the station approach board.

Very satisfying to have all these in place, they will be so much more sturdy that the legs I had first decided to go with.  and they are so easy to attach/detach – just one grub screw per leg.

Busy week

It’s been a busy week and I’ve driven many miles so little modelling has been achieved :-(

However I did, after tennis, manage to install the first two breakfast bar style leg bases on a board and prepare two more for installation at lunchtime today.

After the first lot of ballast was dry, I also spot reballasted the new point.  Here Gelert is inspecting progress.

and it looks like the AZ ballast and DZ wagons are complete:

http://bostonlargsworks.blogspot.com/2010/08/in-pipeline.html

Thanks Rob!  Super job.

any post was there, perchance..?

vallejo acrylic ivory – this may be the solution to the humbrol ivory problem!

another tortoise for the yard board.

GS hypo cement to attach glazing material with.

and I also applied the first layer of ballast to the new point.  Once dry the point will be freed of stray ballast and small areas where ballast has not fallen into the correct shape will be spot reballasted.

In Cheltenham, a list has been compiled of all details on 138 that are different from the backwoods kit and work has continued on the funkey Castell Caernarfon, with the front cow (sheep?) catcher having been reshaped, necessitating a repaint. 

station approach board

A weird image of two boards together – the reason is that the dcc accessory decoder is on the yard board but the point I needed to test is on the station approach board.

The necessary feed wires were soldered on near the new point and copper clad strips glued in place at the board edge.

I also had my first critical review today – from the window cleaner, who said that it was ‘very realistic’.  Of course that is nothing compared to the lions that await in the expong crowd! 

Below is another shot of this board with no flash.

J'adore la tortue

yes, I love the tortoise!

Finally got round to testing the new tortoise with the new peco point today.  Firstly nothing moved, then I realised that the peco spring was the problem - remove that and happy days!

The question now is do I have the time, money and inclination to dig up the other 4 points and relay them with the new peco points and tortoises. 

??

Hmmm, what can I sell....?

Sunday roast

The 3 bugs and car 23 have had red ends sprayed on (red oxide primer) and are now ready for body green. 

I also sprayed the Pullman obs interior grey, then painted the seats and added people.

Finally I spent most of the evening working out what details need to be added to 87’s boiler….mostly pipes actually!

Progress on many fronts

Firstly Dad visited today to show me progress on a few things.  An FR gunpowder wagon (mercian kit) has been painted matt black.  Why you ask? Well it was easy and ready for painting so it was painted!

Dad also brought the Pullman obs so I could mark the window positions and then build the interior.  This I have done and it will be sprayed grey tomorrow.

 

Dad has also made progress on Castell Caernarfon (black chassis, off white roof, red buffer beams etc) and some other bits.  On Tuesday he has promised a Garratt week to get on top of the NGG16s!

In my paint shop, I’ve painted van 2 with the red ends and details whilst also replacing some glazing, adding people inside, removing the bars on the windows and reaffixing the roof).  As I had the orangey-red colour out, I finished off a FR quarrymans car too.

Finally carriage 38 had its ends painted in that red plus one coat of ivory around the windows.  I am however not totally happy with the ivory, it either fails to cover or leaves blobs, even when mixed properly and slightly thinned.  weird stuff and not like the rest of the excellent humbrol acrylics.  I’m looking for some other ivory paints instead as this is a key colour for me.

and the DZs are looking proper quality -

http://bostonlargsworks.blogspot.com/2010/07/take-brake.html

Research and some more painting

Here’s two of the more unusual items of rolling stock, a heavily modified ex Vale of Rheidol brake to go on the WHHR train with Gelert or Russell… and FR carriage 37 now with people installed, roof on and painted and red/cream done. 

I’ve also been spending some time researching the details for No. 87 which is next on the list to finish ready for painting.  Luckily I have a couple of 009 models of the loco to look at: check

http://bronhebog.blogspot.com/2010/07/in-paintshop.html

and

http://www.modelrailroading.nl/ProjectNGG16/Photos/2010-05-15%20NGG16%20gallery%20unpainted/index.html

I also have loads of photos of the real thing to check…

There are loads of differences between the NGG16s on the WHR, but some are just going too hard to replicate such as the rear side of the water tank next to the smokebox, which has a totally different design to the later NGG16s. 

However I am going to try my best to replicate the real thing within the boundaries of time until expong, cost and ease of installation.

Areas where I can model the differences are:

- Cab roof, and shorter cab with no rear window.

- Lubricators (wakefield type)

- Most piping

- blank panel on front of water tank

- slots in front of cab (although these will be painted on in black)

- washout plugs

- differences in tank cutouts

- water tank top footboards

- steam pipe into smokebox

but I will use the castings in the kit for most of the injector/ejector gubbins as there is now not really time to get them imported from the US.

I think that’s a good compromise.

Paint delivery day

many packets arrived for me today, with the pictured paints included:

Humbrol 2: an apple green for Upnor

15: midnight blue for 87

26: khaki – a possible for 2115 the Pullman Bodysgallen

49: matt varnish

60: buffer beam red (scarlet)

2 pots of RC423 (carmine) for FR/WHR mercedes red

Tamiya 3, another possible blue for 87 or Gelert

28: copper

53: mid grey for roofs

Revell(never used them before):

85: a red brown similar to red oxide primer

92: brass for domes, whistles etc

360: a mid green maybe for Upnor?

Railmatch:

2300 and 2301 : BR two tone green for Vale of Ffestiniog

Welcome, Gelert

Purchased on ebay late last night is this Paul Windle scratchbuilt model of Gelert, running on the WHHR.  This is a special engine for me as I have driven it(!) and thus although it looks very unlikely that Gelert would ever make it to Rhyd Ddu, I don't mind running it behind my models of the buffet car, 25 and the ex Vale of Rheidol van.

It's built on a Bachmann 0-6-0 chassis, modified to an outside framed 0-4-2.  The plastic has discoloured a little, as it has been left unpainted for a couple of years, but this should be no problem.  One other benefit for me is that the livery is very simple - very dark blue, no lining and matt black smokebox.  easy! 

Image of the real thing (thanks to flikr) are below:

Pullman interior

Finally it’s done.  The flash makes the colours stand out too much, they are flatter than this, but you get the picture.

Pullman 2115 interior

Last night I glued all the bogie pivots into place on the relevant carriages, some 16 of them. 

I then started work on Pullman 2115, before realising that the bogie pivots were at least 5mm away from centre, I suspect because the pilot holes etched on the 'kit' were incorrect.  So the interior had to be removed, the captive nuts unsoldered and cleaned up, new holes drilled, new nuts added, the interior replaced and the bogie pivots installed.  30mins to put that right!

I've also painted one of the seats with tamiya green-yellow which frankly is gold, not greeny at all.  Once this is dry I'm going to try dotting on blue bits to try and represent the gold and blue moquette in the Pullman. 

I've also been experimenting with methods of fixing bemos and bachmann bemo copies to bogies.  More on that soon.

and if you're not following it already, my man Rob has made more progress on the DZs - http://bostonlargsworks.blogspot.com/

Colin

Carriage bogie pivots

36 x old 3mm wheels, drilled out with 10BA screws and washers inserted.  These are ready for installation.  I am going to superglue the bottom of the wheel and then screw them in, keeping them square whilst the glue sets.  1 carriage was done this way as a test.